New Evidence in France of Harm from Epilepsy Drug Valproate

April 20, 2017

(BBC) – A drug given to pregnant women for epilepsy and bipolar disorder caused “serious malformations” in up to 4,100 children, a French study suggests. Mothers treated with valproate for epilepsy were up to four times likelier to give birth to a malformed child, the preliminary study found. Introduced in France in 1967, valproate is prescribed widely worldwide. Doctors in France are now advised not to give it to girls, women of childbearing age and pregnant women.